INDEPENDENT traders in Beverley have started a campaign to promote their shops.

More than 30 shops have joined the Independentbeverley.co.uk campaign, which includes a walking trail around the town centre that will take people to the door of every participating retailer.

Amalia Booker and Antony Barton, the owners of local gift and furniture shop Amanti, had the idea for the campaign. Amalia said: “Even in a town like Beverley that appears to be successful and affluent, trading can be hard. As July is independent retailer month across the UK, we wanted to use it as an opportunity to shout about the importance of using local, independent shops.

“Most of us don’t have big marketing budgets so the obvious thing to do is to come together and start promoting one another in an active way.

“So far, Beverley has been able to avoid becoming just another clone town, but we need to make sure that we keep a diverse range of shops here because it’s good for the town and good for the local economy. When we count the number of independent shops that have closed since we opened six years ago, it’s very worrying.”